it is especially true, a new york times article saying republicans would hit steep cuts hitting the pentagon. here is how the defense sector is fairing right now. shall we take a look if we don't have that, we will bring it to you when we do. john harwood, live in washington. hi, john. >> there is no more clarity around this budget sequester situation than there is about the italian elections that michelle was talking about earlier. you've got many republicans as well as democrats saying, either publicly or privately, oh, it's not that bad. if you're a democrat will it cut defense. some say okay, it'll cut spending overall. that's fine too. you have president obama with public pressure trying to convince the american people that bad things are going to happen and put pressure on republicans. he also sent senate remarks in the morning to the white house a way out for both sides. >> democrats, like me, need to acknowledge that we're going to have to make modest reforms in medicare if we want the program there for future generations and if we hope to maintain our ability to invest in critical t